China’s ‘milk bars’ have been issued with new guidelines that place them under stricter regulatory control, with a stronger focus on maintaining the freshness and safety of products as dairy consumption in the country grows.
Japanese seasoning giant Ajinomoto has developed a new nutrient scoring system to evaluate the nutritional value of its products and help support future product development.
Japan has stepped up its efforts to promote recycling and sustainability in the country by amending its regulations to allow the sales of specified condiments and beverages in PET bottles without any labels or tags whatsoever.
New Zealand kiwi firm Zespri says sales to Japan have soared by 52% in the last five years, with a further 4% rise to 104,000 tonnes forecast for this year.
Japanese snack giant Calbee will build a new factory in Hiroshima Prefecture, which will feature extensive automated processes to help combat labour shortages caused by the nation’s ageing society.
China online commerce giant Alibaba has predicted that the retail sector in China will see a boom in digitisation as well as a rise in healthy food options moving forth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Fruit and vegetable juice firm China Huiyuan is ploughing resources into its e-commerce business as it seeks to hold on to its number one ranking in the China Brand Power Index
Replacing sodium chloride (dietary/table salt) with lower sodium salt substitutes containing potassium chloride could prevent up to 450,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China.
Tensions between Australia and China have recently been running high over barley tariffs and beef bans, but this nothing new nor solely due to ‘punishing behaviour’ over COVID-19, according to several trade consulting experts.
Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli and Trade minister Ruhsar Pekcan have announced that barriers to dairy products to be exported to China have been removed.
Energy drink brands are striving to develop products that are clean, healthier and with greater functionality beyond providing an energy boost to meet growing consumer demands in Asia-Pacific.
South Korea has moved to temporarily relax regulatory measures for food imports in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, particularly concentrating on documentation and labelling requirements to prevent delays in custom clearance.
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) has approved 2,887 products under the food with function claim (FFC) since its introduction in 2015 – but only 1325 are currently available on the market.
PepsiCo is putting local culture and comfort at the heart of its NPD strategy in China with the launch of its first domestic market-inspired launch – an Osmanthus-flavoured soft drink.
New industry analysis suggests that China’s fresh foods sales by e-commerce will continue to boom, after the Chinese New Year period and COVID-19 lockdowns initially caused trade to spike.
UK-based wine packaging and wholesaler Garçon Wines is eyeing Asia-Pacific, specially Australia, New Zealand and China with its flat PET wine bottles that can fit through a letterbox.
China’s infant formula and supplement retailer, GOVKING Group, is promoting GoldMax – a New Zealand infant formula and supplement brand – through its ‘livestreaming incubator’.
Nestle is conducting consumer testing with a view to expanding its customisable 'superfood' drink product, nesQino, to more APAC markets, after an initial launch in China via e-commerce platform Tmall.
Japan’s food seasoning giant Ajinomoto is proposing amino acids like monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a candidate to help fight dementia and is working on a new range of seasoning products to help improve cognitive health.
Korea-based plant-based product firm Phyto Corporation (PhytoCo) has officially launched its world-first plant-based salt in the country, PhytoSalt, which the firm claims is low-sodium and microplastic-free.
Investments in China’s eGrocery start-up sector continues to soar with funding reaching USD2.1 billion in 2019, a 25% increase from 2018, new data reveals.
Japan is still in the early adoption phase of sustainable confectionery, but there is plenty of potential for it to go mainstream, according to consumer research from Barry Callebaut.
Low-to-no alcoholic (LNA) beer brewery Nirvana Breweries has its eye set on the Asian market starting with Japan, and is convinced that its broad range and distinct flavour will set it apart from the competition.
Japanese confectionery company Ezaki Glico has reported strong demand for its Mental Balance Chocolate GABA for Sleep, which carries a food with function claim (FFC).
China’s online purchasing patterns throughout the country’s COVID-19 lockdown thus far have revealed a shift towards food products for home-cooking, a pattern that is expected to continue even beyond current restrictions.
Mondelez China has launched two limited-edition OREO flavours to tie in with the spring season: Sakura Matcha and Peach Oolong, going all-out with both colourful packaging and collaborative marketing to attract young consumers.
South Korea has seen an increase of over 90% in online food product transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, but continues to face trade-related challenges even as the country has moved to relax some social-distancing regulations.
South Korea has made Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification mandatory for all foreign food facilities exporting into the country, in an effort to tighten its control over imported food safety hazards.
Ingredion will double the capacity at its Shandong modified starch facility by 2022, to tap into China’s growing hunger for innovative textures in foods.
Japan has temporarily relaxed its traditionally strict food labelling regulations to help accommodate food manufacturing firms that need to make adjustments to production processes or raw materials in their production chains as a result of the COVID-19...
Chinese’s premium baijiu brand Rong Tai He Moutai (RTH) Maotaijiu is planning to expand into Japan, South Korea, ASEAN and the US with its high-end spirit this year.
Japanese F&B firms in Japan such as Nissin, Ajinomoto, Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin, Kewpie, Hotei Foods, and Megmilk Snow Brand say they are battling to provide 'business as usual', despite the state of emergency in the country due to the COVID-19...
The meal kit market has traditionally been dominated by specialised meal kit delivery services such as Blue Apron, but rises in demands for both freshness and convenience have piqued food and retail firms’ interest in this rapidly growing sector.
Sales of alcohol and fresh foods on e-commerce in China have surged during the COVID-19 epidemic, with market analysts predicting that the changes in consumer buying habits are here to stay.
The Chinese government has been pushing for a ‘return to normalcy’ for what it deems ‘low-risk’ COVID-19-affected areas within the country, but faces multiple challenges in the form of public anxiety over food security and relaxed control measures.
Japanese snack firm Calbee is intensifying its sustainability activities by working on the sustainable procurement of palm oil and attempting to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.
Japan’s Kirin Brewery will launch its latest no-alcohol beer, Kirin Greens Free, nationwide this month, the latest in a long line of booze-free innovations in the country.
Mission Foods is launching Corn Strips in South East Asia and China, with the firm claiming traditional triangular corn chips can be ‘frustrating’ for consumers.
Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang has opted to employ humour to reassure the local public that his government has sufficient food stocks to tide the country through the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, asking the people to ‘buy as much as you like’.